After leaving the island of Samar, we had another day in Manila before continuing on to the United States. We did a little souvenir shopping at Balikbayan Handicrafts and at Greenhills Shopping Center, home of the famous Pearl Market. Rows and rows of vendors were ready to make jewelry of all kinds using pearls of all kinds - South Sea, Freshwater, and Tahitian - all at bargain prices and custom-made in a matter of minutes.
But the highlight of the day was a belated Valentine's dinner at Hotel Shangri-La's highly-rated restaurant Red. We packed only casual clothes for the mission trip, so I was a bit worried that the restaurant would take issue with Tom's lack of a sport coat or tie. Not surprisingly, the hostess checked with the manager before seating us. Tom was fine - the hesitation seemed to be with my Birkenstocks.
It was a quiet night, and there was plenty of room, but the manager seated us off to the side and close to the kitchen. Nonetheless, our table was lovely. We opted for the chef's 10-course tasting menu and then immediately asked for the sommelier. I knew we were off to a great start when he recommended Craggy Range Chardonnay - one of our favorite wines from New Zealand.
Dinner was exquisite, and I was especially impressed with the "Light Green Pea Veloute." I quizzed our waiter about the fabulous sauce, so he offered to introduce us to the chef. William Tan was young, charming and happy to share his culinary secrets. Chef Tan also didn't seem to be particularly bothered by my Birkenstocks.
Sounds like the trip ended on quite a tasty high note! You always have such a knack for meeting the chef at these amazing restaurants. Who would have thought Birkenstocks would cause such a culinary ruckus?
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